POSITION PAPER
Country: France
Committee: United Nations International Children's
Agenda: Discussion on the measures to ensure
Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
privacy and safety of children online, combat cyber-
bullying and promoting digital literacy.
Introduction and Background:
Making sure children's privacy and safety online is a
top priority in today's fast changing digital
environment. This debate examines critical steps to
safeguard kids, stop cyberbullying, and advance digital
literacy. We can build a safer digital space where kids
can explore and interact with confidence by
establishing solid privacy settings, encouraging open
communication, teaching kids and parents about online
threats, and encouraging responsible online behaviour.
Country’s Stance:
France has developed a robust cybersecurity strategy,
bolstering our critical infrastructure and incident
response capabilities. Our esteemed French Network
and Information Security Agency (ANSSI) stands at the
forefront, ensuring our nation's resilience
against cyber-attacks.
France has signed various pacts and has formulated
laws to prevent such actions:
1. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
The General Data Protection Regulation is a
Regulation in European Union (EU) law on data
protection and privacy in the EU and the European
Economic Area. It is an important component of EU
privacy law and of human rights law, in particular
Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union. France is an active member of this.
2. French Data Protection Act (1978):
France was the first European country to introduce
broad privacy laws for the collection, processing, and
use of personal data.
3. Loi pour la Confiance dans l'Économie
Numérique (LCEN):
Article 6-4 of the French law for the confidence in the
digital economy (LCEN) creates new obligations to
regulate various forms of hate content. The provision
sets out requirements for online platforms that
operate search engines to process legal complaints
against content that may be illegal under French law.
4. Bipartisan Bill:
It proposed to regulate social media influencers'
activities in a bid to curb the promotion of dangerous
products and trends. The law will be enacted soon.
5. Regulations to be enacted:
a) The new law will explicitly require sites to obtain
approval of a user's parent or guardian if they
are under 15, using technical solutions that
comply with guidelines
b) Parents in France would be liable for punishment
if they share photos of their child on social
media.
c) Tech platforms to remove hateful comments
within 24 hours after they are flagged by users.
Platforms could face fines of up to $1.36 million
if they fail to follow the regulations.
Proposed Solutions:
1. Strict laws and regulations should be added
targeting cyberbullies.
2. Campaigns should be run in schools and local
households.
3. Abusive content should be removed from social
media platforms within few hours of posting.
4. Collaboration with other countries: By sharing best
practices, exchanging information, and
implementing joint initiatives, countries can work
together to create a safer online environment for
everyone.
